Food Stamp Program: Recipient Claim Establishment and Collection Standards

Food stamp recipient claims are established and collected against households that receive more benefits than they are entitled to receive. At the Food and Nutrition Service, we are revising Food Stamp Program regulations that cover food stamp recipient claims. This rule aims to improve claims management in the Food Stamp Program while providing State agencies with increased flexibility in their efforts to increase claims collection. We incorporate into this rule the provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 that affect recipient claims. In addition, this action is consistent with the President's regulatory reform effort. The last major revision to the Food Stamp recipient claim regulations was in 1983. Recent legislation, technological advances and changes in Federal debt management procedures have made many parts obsolete. This rule accomplishes several specific objectives while updating the Food Stamp recipient claims regulations. First, it incorporates changes mandated by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Second, the presentation of our policies, and, in some cases, the policies themselves are streamlined by this rule. Third, this action incorporates Federal debt management regulations and statutory revisions into recipient claim management. Finally, this rule provides State agencies with additional tools to facilitate the establishment, collection and disposition of recipient claims.